Circus and George Street traffic plans announced

Proposals to improve traffic flows, make Bath city centre a more pleasant place to walk around, and improve air quality on a congested route are being consulted on by Bath & North East Somerset Council.

The plan is to divert traffic away from The Circus and allow traffic to move more freely on George Street. This was one of the campaigns that helped get Manda Rigby elected in 2011 and now the Liberal Democrat administration is delivering.

These measures will improve people’s quality of life. Residents and visitors should be able to walk and cycle around the city centre in a pleasant environment. These plans have significant benefits. Busy traffic will be reduced in The Circus area and loading restrictions on George Street will allow vehicles and public transport, particularly the Lansdown Park & Ride service, to move more freely on a key route into the city centre.

This is the next step in making Bath into a more walkable city.

To achieve this, the following measures are being proposed for an 18 month trial period:

·        No vehicles will be allowed into the northern part of Gay Street at its junction with George Street. Cyclists will be allowed;

·        On Bennett Street, coaches will be prohibited. Local buses will be allowed;

·        Along most of George Street, ‘No Loading/ Unloading’ will apply Monday to Saturday between 7am – 11am and during the afternoon between 3pm and 7pm. A short length of George Street on the north side of the road between Bartlett Street and Lansdown Road will be ‘No Loading/ Unloading at any time’.

The scheme will remove over 300 through traffic movements at peak times from the upper part of Gay Street, the Circus and the Bennett Street and also coaches travelling through the Circus.